The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-03-02


why not? To Liverpool-to the north
pole-anywhere, so that could fight this
miserable battle alone, and free this dear
! little girl from the wretchedness of living
haunted creature like me. No-don't speak,
Jeanne it is just as L have said
But 1 have failed in the effort;
my love for her fights with the
terror that is upon me; il possesses me, and
l can't over come it. Jeanne, l want TO
live for you-oh, God how want to live
| for you!"
She reached up and kissed him.
After these extraordinary scenes, all OF
which she had witnessed, my sister began
to entertain some doubts about the pru-
dence of such marriage, and even mildly
demonstrated with Jeanne. She might as
we'll have saved her breath. The girl was
wholly devoted to him; his unaccountable
sufferings only increased her attachment.
"Will you consent to it?" my sister asked
me, with such trouble in her voice as had
not observed since her husband died.
What can l do?" was my reply. Events
have shaped themselves since Raymond
came here there has been no time since
that Sunday that either of us could have
proftably interfered. Like you, think of
| them as man and wife with rare misgiv-
ings; but can / dare the consequences to
either of them which separation would
bring2 No; it must go on"
And it did go on. They were married in
September; and l am bound to reveal that
both appeared perfectly happy, that Ray
mond was as bright and winning as at the
| first moment l saw him, and that the
spirits of my sister and myself leaped up
gladly.
Circumstances which are unnecessary to
| be repeated here determined that the home
of these young people should be in Phla-
| delphia. The earnest desire of both, as
well as her own preference, made my sister
member of their household; and the
great burden was laid upon me of ind
ing another housekeeper. Inexpressibly
lonely was l upon the removal of these
dear ones from my home; but / had that
never failing solace for the melancholy
hard work, in abundance. Frequent letters
from Philadelphia, from each OF the three,
gave me charming glimpses of happy
home-that paradise on earth. There was
no hint of Raymonds old torments
returning to vex him. At Christ
mas / was able to pay them a
flying visit of day; and what l saw and
heard while with them may be condensed
into three words-love, hope, happ ness.
Raymond had found an occupation that ex-
act!y suited him-that of reviewer for n
| high class of publications.. He pursued it
with as much zeal as though his wealth did
not foot at a round hundred thousand; and
saw the evidences that he was making s
mark. From that brief visit sped back to
my incessant round of labor, satisfied and
thankful beyond measure for the peace
and serenity that had at last settled upon
this sorely buffeted soul.
ba rnoOtba ana6 on op1 on thn oftar-
noon of April 2Sth telegram was put
into my hand from Raymond Wager. 1t
startled me as if with an electric shock. 1t
| read:
For Gods sake come to me. The old
horror is grasping me. Come at once. y
All unprepared, and with urgent cases
on my hands, waited only to pen line to
the physician with whom 1 now and then
changed work, and then FASTENED across the
ferry. A train had just gone. | waited
two hours for another. 1t should have
brought me to Philadelphia by nine
o'clock, but collision had blocked the
track, and it was past three in the morning
before my journeys end was reached
There was no carriage to be obtained at
that hour, and l walked two miles to Ray
mord's house. Day was breaking when
reached it. Early as it was there was a
| strange stir in the street Fifty people az
| least were congregated in front of the
house, and policeman guarded Inc door.
! pushed through the crowd and accosted
him.
what has happened here?"
"There has been a man killed inside
here-shot himself, believe; l don't know.
I'm only put here TO keep out the crowd"
! l told him who l was and showed MIN
the telegram. With some demur he admit
| tod no cd ly GI
ter met me in the hall, her eyes red with
weeping.
Poor Jeanne" she said, lit will kill
her."
She retained the hand had given her,
and led me to chamber up-stais.
White and CHASTITY on the bed,
with a bullet-hole in the middle of his
fair forehead. lay Raymond Wager. His
night-dress was upon him, and save for
that ugly mark, he looked like corpse al
ready prepared for the coffin. His wife
was bneellng by his side, her face hidden
In the bed.
Ny emotions were overpowering; | with
drew from the bedside, and went into the
hall. Ny sister followed me.
at has ended as have feared, / found
voice to say.
"Such madness as his was sure to end in
suicide"
"Suicide!" she echoed. "No You have
not heard. At one o'clock this morning
Raymond was aroused by voice in the
lower part of the house. He went down at
once, and a burglar shot him dead.
And this was the twenty ninth of April.
The ruffian who had caused this heavy
woe was apprehended, tried, convicted, and
hanged. What he said, when the judge
called upon him to say why sentence should
not be pronounced upon him, is the only
passage in all the dark episode that spe-
cially concerns this narrative.
Anybody would ha' done it in such a
quod as that" he sull1ily said. He skeered
me half to death as it was. He came at
me with his arms spread out, and his eyes
bullying out of his head, just like a ghost.
Blame me if / don't think he was ghost!
He looked like he had just stepped out of
his coffin. Anybody would ha' fired at
such thing, just for fright"
And now-what answer to these strange
but absolutely true occurrences which
after seventeen years, / have brought my
self to record? Can Imagination and ter
ror, combined with chance, produce such
results? Or does the mysterious Beyond,
lying but step to either side of our path
n. A. l. Il.